With more than 3 million waterfowl wintering on the
UK’s wetlands each year, and even more passing through on migration,
Britain has a major international responsibility to conserve these birds.
Whether this is achieved through, for example, protection of important
sites, or through research into specific problems, conservation requires
baseline information. In the UK, the majority of this information is
gathered through WeBS - the Wetland Bird Survey.

Monitoring
of waterbird populations (i.e. divers, grebes, swans, geese, ducks and
waders) has been carried out in one form or another for over 50 years.
Back in 1947, the British section of the International Wildfowl Inquiry
initiated wildfowl counts "to determine the status of wildfowl in Great
Britain and to ascertain whether any long term trends were occurring" -
still among the scheme’s key objectives today. These later became more
widespread, and organisation of these National Wildfowl Counts moved to
the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge (WWT). Since that time the
scheme has continued to grow, and in 1993 merged with the Birds of
Estuaries Enquiry, established in 1969 to extend coverage to waders, to
form the Wetland Bird Survey.

The scheme, a partnership between the British Trust
for Ornithology, WWT, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the
Joint Nature Conservation Committee (the government's umbrella
conservation body for each of the country conservation agencies) has four
main objectives:

to obtain waterfowl population estimates

to monitor trends in these populations

to identify important sites

to research into waterfowl ecology

Counts are carried out solely by volunteers, who
give their time to visit local wetlands and count the waterfowl that they
see. Nationally, around 2000-2500 sites are
covered by the survey every year, making it arguably the largest scheme of
its kind in Europe.

In Shetland, the emphasis of these counts has
been on wildfowl, since the islands can muster very little in the way of
estuarine habitats. The first count listed on the WeBS database is from
Papil Water in Fetlar, in September 1960. Since then, over 6000 records
have been collected for sites throughout Shetland. Whilst the bulk of
records come from the main wildfowl sites (such as the lochs at Tingwall &
Asta, Spiggie & Brow and Clickimin), there are records for a variety of
smaller sites as well.

Shetland Biological Records Centre organises the
WeBS counts within Shetland, acting as a link between the national
administration of the scheme, and local counters on the ground. As such,
we are keen to hear from anyone who might be able to provide counts for
their local loch or other area (data from voes or sea inlets form an
equally useful contribution to the survey). The demands of the survey on
counters are not too onerous. One count per month is required from the
seven ‘winter’ months (September – March); preferably on a set weekend
(usually the middle of the month), although if weather or other
commitments do not permit, any count from a single day during the month in
question will be taken. All counters need to do is fill in a simple form,
and send it in at the end of the season. In return for their efforts
counters receive a twice-yearly newsletter, which is a well-written mix of
news and views about waterfowl species, census work, conservation etc.;
and a copy of the WeBS annual report, an impressive tome which summarises
the year’s survey.

This really is a survey which ANYONE
can make a useful contribution to. If you think you would like to be
involved, or would simply like to find out more, contact contact SHETLAND BIOLOGICAL RECORDS CENTRE
at
sbrc@zetnet.co.uk.

Photo above - American Wigeon - Steve Votier

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